The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Mets, Francisco Lindor Have Reached Stalemate in Contract Negotiations

<a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/04/01/new-york-mets-francisco-lindor-contract-extension-stalemate">
The Mets have reportedly offered Lindor a 10-year, $325 million deal, while Lindor is asking for 12 years and $385 million.
On the eve of Opening Day, it doesn't appear that the Mets and star shortstop Francisco Lindor will come to an agreement on a new megadeal.
Lindor and the team are reportedly at an impasse regarding a contract extension,
</a><a href="https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/francisco-lindor-mets-contract-negotiations">according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com</a>. Unless the two sides come to an agreement, Lindor will enter free agency after the season ends.
As things stand, the Mets are unwilling to increase their offer of 10 years, $325 million, while Lindor will reportedly not move off his 12-year, $385 million request. Lindor has imposed a deadline of Opening Day to complete negotiations, though it's possible talks can extend beyond that date.
Mets owner Steve Cohen offered his take on the negotiations via Twitter on Tuesday, praising Lindor in the process.
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Lindor, 27, is <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/03/12/new-york-mets-francisco-lindor-daily-cover">one of the faces of baseball</a> and has the perfect personality to be a franchise player in New York. He will make $22.3 million in 2021, his first with the Mets. He arrived in Queens alongside starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco via a <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/07/francisco-lindor-trade-grades-mets-cleveland">blockbuster trade</a> from Cleveland in January, in which the Mets gave up four players. A four-time All-Star, Lindor has won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers so far, finishing in the top 15 in MVP voting each year from 2016-19.
The Mets' $325 million offer to Lindor reportedly included deferred money initially, though Cohen removed that condition in a dinner meeting with Lindor. Lindor and his agent, David Meter, have only made the lone offer to New York, and have not budged from their numbers.
DiComo reports that Cohen is "upset and baffled" at Lindor holding firm to his contract request. The Mets love <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/01/07/francisco-lindor-new-york-mets-steve-cohen">Lindor and would not have traded for him if they didn't intend on keeping him with their franchise long term</a>, but as of now, they will not increase their offer to meet Lindor in the middle. Cohen could break the team's stance by "going rogue," but he reportedly has concern about setting that precedent.
In 60 games last season, Lindor hit .258/.335/.415 with eight home runs, six stolen bases and 27 RBIs.

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Mets, Francisco Lindor Have Reached Stalemate in Contract Negotiations

The Mets have reportedly offered Lindor a 10-year, $325 million deal, while Lindor is asking for 12 years and $385 million. On the eve of ...

New on Sports Illustrated: JJ Redick Criticizes Pelicans' Handling of Deadline Trade to Mavericks

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/04/01/jj-redick-critical-david-griffin-pelicans-mavericks-trade">
Redick said on his podcast that he was given an assurance from Pelicans executive David Griffin that he'd be traded to a preferred situation.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Veteran shooting guard JJ Redick, who was dealt at the NBA trade deadline from New Orleans to Dallas, is not happy over how Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin handled the move, saying he "did not honor his word." 
Speaking on his podcast, The Old Man & the Three, Redick explained his reasons for requesting a trade from New Orleans in November, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31172777/jj-redick-sounds-new-orleans-pelicans-front-office-handling-trade-dallas-mavericks">according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez</a>. Among the most important reasons was his desire to be closer to his family in Brooklyn, while he also cited the team's trade of Jrue Holiday as a factor for wanting out.
"Griff basically says to me, 'Come down for a month. If you still want to be traded, I give you my word, I'll get you to a situation that you like.' We had four subsequent conversations," Redick said. "Again, my agent talked to them. But I'm talking to Griff directly. Griff and I had a personal relationship. Obviously, he did not honor his word."
Redick said he was under the impression that he would be bought out of his contract after not getting traded at the deadline, when he could then sign with the Nets. He said he will still join the Mavericks once he finishes rehabbing his injured knee, which he's doing in New York away from the team.
When asked about the trade last week, Griffin said the front office tried to trade Redick to be closer to his family, but ultimately was unable to execute a move.
"We did spend a great deal of time trying to put JJ closer to home," Griffin said Friday. "When it became clear that the teams that were in the best position regionally for him were not necessarily the most aggressive in landing him, we did have conversations about the importance of immediately contending, as he's aging.
"I think we felt confident that JJ welcomed the better contending opportunity because we're not even at the play-in at this point. We felt it was the right thing to do for him and his family."
Redick said the experience has caused him to distrust Griffin and the Pelicans' front office going forward.
"I don't think you're going to get honesty from that front office, just objectively speaking ... It's not something where I would expect certainly the agents that worked on this with me to ever trust that front office again."

New on Sports Illustrated: JJ Redick Criticizes Pelicans' Handling of Deadline Trade to Mavericks

Redick said on his podcast that he was given an assurance from Pelicans executive David Griffin that he'd be traded to a preferred situ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Indianapolis Hotel Serving as NCAA Tournament Bubble to Host a Different Kind of NFL Combine

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/03/31/nfl-combine-medical-bubble-indianapolis-marriott-hotel">
Indianapolis's Marriott Downtown hotel will welcome NFL prospects next week for the league's medical combine after the NCAA tournament ends.
INDIANAPOLIS — Three weeks ago, during the second week of March, Big Ten basketball teams started to arrive at the Marriott Downtown hotel for an open-ended stay ahead of the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, each happening in this city.
Not long afterward, this 650-room, 16-floor place transformed into a veritable bubble, completely closed to the public while shielding two dozen teams from much of the outside world for nearly a month. The Marriott Downtown hosted an initial 16 teams during the NCAA tournament’s first weekend, like three other hotels here, before being designated as the home for all those that advanced to the Sweet 16 and beyond. The Final Four participants are the only ones left, each using an entire floor until they’re bounced from the Big Dance.
But this bubbled hotel won’t be popped when the national champion and runner-up leave after Monday’s title game.
There are more high-profile athletes on the way.
Some of the most talented NFL prospects, 150 in all, are scheduled to descend upon Indianapolis next week for a strictly medical portion of the combine, business leaders and city officials tell Sports Illustrated.
“I have 220 rooms booked,” says Michael Moros, the 54-year-old general manager of the Marriott Downtown, which will serve as the central hub of the event. “I’m excited to have it. It keeps my team working. It’s my job to get people back to work here.”
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As soon as basketball players exit, rooms will be readied for stars of another sport to be isolated in a similar type of bubble. From April 8-10, NFL personnel will conduct medical evaluations of the draft’s biggest prospects here, similar to those they’d normally administer during the combine, the on-field portion of which was canceled this year. Two people from each team are invited to the event, but the league is limiting those people to team doctors, orthopedic specialists and other medically related personnel.
A total of 322 prospects received combine invitations this year, but about 175 of them are only being allowed to hold medical evaluations virtually. The other 150 will be here in Indianapolis, where a busy month rolls on.
“Indianapolis is delighted to have major sporting activity after the NCAA tournament wraps up,” says Leonard Hoops, the president and CEO of Visit Indy who confirmed the news Wednesday.
For the players and teams, next week’s unique combine experience is essential. In a year where the NFL is prohibiting prospects from visiting team facilities, Moros’s hotel will be one of the only spots that club medical personnel can evaluate players in a face-to-face environment.
That’s important for those highly-touted prospects who are returning from injury, such as Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley (shoulder) and Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle), and those who opted out of the 2020 college season, like LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.
“The medical exams are always the most important part of the combine,” says Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl. “The workouts have been the glitzy, TV thing, but when you talk to football people, it’s really only the interviews and the medical exams. Next week will be another touch point for the staffs even if the football people aren’t there. I’m sure the GMs and coaches will sit down with their medical staff and fill them in on the players.”
For NFL clubs, the normal pre-draft process features three parts: (1) in-person interviews/psyche assessments, (2) physical evaluations and (3) medical exams. Most teams have already completed interviews and psyche evaluations during virtual meetings with prospects who received a combine invitation. Clubs are mostly relegated to relying on college pro days for the physical evals, aside from the Senior Bowl, which held a largely normal week despite the circumstances. The event hosted 135 prospects in Mobile, Alabama, and 31 of 32 teams were represented, says Nagy.
The medical portion is more complicated. Combine invitees were sent for in-person testing at independent healthcare facilities near their home or where they are training. After those test results, teams conducted telehealth exams with the prospects. Each team is assigned eight to 12 players. The results of both the tests and exams are shared among the entire league.
The exams in Indianapolis are more orthopedic in nature. The NFL selected the 150 prospects based on both their draftability (higher-touted prospects) and those who may have been flagged for medical risks after their general in-person exams.
Most teams are sending their head athletic trainer and team orthopedic surgeon. Players and personnel who have not been vaccinated (roughly 85% of team personnel have been vaccinated) must pass a COVID test before arriving and will be tested each day in Indianapolis.
All personnel and players will be isolated to the Marriott Downtown. Players will arrive in two waves. Day 1 will include imaging tests, and Day 2 will feature personal exams.
For the first time in 33 years, the Indianapolis Crowne Plaza, the central location of the annual combine, is not hosting the prospects. For space purposes and because of the Marriott’s familiarity with bubbling personnel, the league chose Moros’s property.
Players and staff will be in a more flexible bubble than the one that NCAA tournament teams find themselves. In fact, Moros says he’s being allowed to open his hotel restaurant, coffee shop and bourbon bar for event guests. For now, they are closed as the Final Four participants isolate before Saturday’s games. It’s part of the NCAA’s bubbled approach to this year’s tournament, all of which
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/20/march-madness-indianapolis-bubble-economy-tournament">took place in the Indianapolis area</a>.
The near month-long event has provided a much-needed cash infusion to the local hospitality industry that's been rocked by the pandemic. The Marriott was closed for nine months starting last March and only reopened for weekends in January before wrapping itself in an invisible bubble with a surge of clients starting with the Big Ten tournament.
It will, finally, reopen to the public on April 13, Moros says. By that time, his hotel would have hosted two dozen basketball teams, more than 500 basketball and football players, another 300 college coaches and staff members, nearly 100 NFL personnel and blocked off more than 1,200 rooms over 33 days—all the while operating with 300 fewer hotel employees than normal.
It's another sign that the country is emerging from the COVID cave, and Moros couldn’t be more ecstatic.
“We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” he says.

New on Sports Illustrated: Indianapolis Hotel Serving as NCAA Tournament Bubble to Host a Different Kind of NFL Combine

Indianapolis's Marriott Downtown hotel will welcome NFL prospects next week for the league's medical combine after the NCAA tournam...

New on Sports Illustrated: How This Fan Trained a Machine Learning Model and Nailed His March Madness Bracket

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/march-madness-fan-trained-machine-predict-bracket-will-geoghegan">
Will Geoghegan's bracket is in the top 0.2% of 14M+ brackets on ESPN after calling upsets like USC over Kansas and Houston in the Final Four.
If we're being honest, most of our March Madness brackets imploded in some way over the last few weeks and now hold on by a thread with the Final Four in a few days. 
However,
</a><a href="https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2021/en/entry?entryID=50513422">Will Geoghegan's men's bracket</a> is still intact and in the top 0.2% of more than 14 million brackets on ESPN after training a machine learning model to fill out his bracket for the Big Dance. 
"I think it's cool that something like this can work well. Because we look at March Madness and we see all the craziness and all the upsets that no one saw coming, like Oral Roberts and UCLA," Geoghegan says. "But, at the end of the day, it's two one seeds and a two seed in the Final Four. And so these analytics can still be successful even in such a kind of volatile format as March Madness."
This isn't the first time the former professional runner, who now works in the computer science industry, has done something like this but it's possibly the most success he's had with a sports machine learning model. Close to seven years ago, Geoghegan created a model to draft his fantasy football team. 
It worked until Adrian Peterson, who the model selected first, was suspended for the season. 
"I've always liked kind of applying this stuff to things like sports because anything with a lot of data that's available, you can usually make a good model," Geoghegan said. "Sports and data definitely go hand in hand in this."
A few years later, he trained a machine learning model to fill out a March Madness bracket; however, it wasn't as successful as this year's because of overfitting. The model was too specific and complicated, so it learned the data he gave really well versus extrapolating into the future.
"No matter how you know how perfectly tuned your model is, these are still games that are being played and there's a huge element of randomness," Geoghegan. "Not randomness from the player's perspective necessarily but from the model's perspective. Sometimes the worst team will win, and that's just how it goes. The biggest takeaway was just making kind of a good, general model that didn't try is too hard to get everything right but just has a good kind of high-level map of where things stand."
Taking what he learned from previous codes and models, Geoghegan used AdaBoost, which he said is essentially "an algorithm for combining a collection of relatively weak predictors into a single strong predictor." He pulled <a href="https://www.masseyratings.com/cb/compare.htm">data from the Massey Ratings</a> instead of using player or game-level data. 
Essentially, <a href="https://github.com/wdg3/march-madness-2021">the model aggregated</a> the opinions of experts who create the college basketball rankings. It used the seeds and the various ranking systems as weak predictors with training data going back to 2003.
"It's able to kind of find the relationships between them in a way to combine all of them into one kind of rating system," Geoghegan said. "If you get really into the math, you can prove that it's guaranteed to do better than the best single rating system."
Within three hours, his model and bracket were set, and when he compared it to his bracket he did by hand, the picks were logical and not too wildly outrageous. Geoghegan said none of the picks really made him scratch his head too much. 
And it worked. The model correctly predicted Rutgers over Clemson, USC over Kansas, Arkansas in the Elite Eight and Houston in the Final Four. The biggest miss, like most brackets, was UCLA's overtime upset of Alabama.
The model also didn't predict Cinderella-esque teams like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/31/ucla-reaches-final-four-mick-cronin-johnny-juzang">UCLA</a> or <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/28/oral-roberts-max-abmas-deserves-place-ncaa-tournament-history">Oral Roberts</a>. The data stops with the end of the conference championships, so if a team, like those or Oregon State, suddenly gets hot in the tournament, the model most likely won't predict that. 
The model originally predicted that Baylor would beat Gonzaga, 69–57. However, it now thinks the Zags will be crowned the national champions and become<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/03/20/march-madness-ncaa-tournament-last-undefeated-team"> the first undefeated men's college basketball team since Indiana during the 1975–76 season</a>. 
In the future, Geoghegan is planning to use more data with a similar approach since this system only looked at how teams were rated going into the tournament versus how ratings changed throughout the season. 
"I've always been into programming. There's a creative aspect to it, where you're starting with a blank file, and you're creating something," Geoghegan said. "And I think it's really cool on the data side to be able to take megabytes worth of ones and zeros and turn it into useful predictions about the future and about the world. 
"Obviously, March Madness isn't as high impact as a lot of other applications of this stuff. But it's turning data into useful insights about the world we live in."

New on Sports Illustrated: How This Fan Trained a Machine Learning Model and Nailed His March Madness Bracket

Will Geoghegan's bracket is in the top 0.2% of 14M+ brackets on ESPN after calling upsets like USC over Kansas and Houston in the Final...

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Clippers Planning to Sign Center DeMarcus Cousins

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/03/31/demarcus-cousins-clippers-10-day-contract-planning-to-sign">
The Clippers and Cousins are reportedly discussing a 10-day contract.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
The Clippers are planning to sign free-agent center DeMarcus Cousins, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1377283416933163012">according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. </a>
According to The Athletic, Cousins is in Los Angeles and is starting testing protocols in the lead-up to joining the Clippers. The deal is pending clearance of the NBA's health and safety protocol.
<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1377283257172119559">ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting</a> that the discussions between Cousins and the Clippers are for a 10-day contract. 
Cousins opened the NBA season with the Rockets, averaging a career-low 9.6 points per game while shooting just 37.6% from the field and 33.6% from three. He played 25 games with the team.
<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/02/20/rockets-releasing-demarcus-cousins">He was waived on February 23 amid a Rockets losing streak that eventually spanned 20 games.</a>
Cousins has made appearances for four different NBA teams in the last 11 seasons, doing so with the Kings, Pelicans, Warriors and Rockets. Cousins also signed a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/07/06/demarcus-cousins-contract-free-agency-lakers">one-year, $3.5 million deal</a> with the Lakers in July 2019 but <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2019/08/15/demarcus-cousins-knee-injury-updates-lakers">suffered a torn left ACL in August</a> and rehabbed throughout last season before eventually being waived.
The Clippers are currently No. 3 in the Western Conference and 32-17 on the season. Cousins will try and bolster the team's center depth with the team currently relying on the play of Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Clippers Planning to Sign Center DeMarcus Cousins

The Clippers and Cousins are reportedly discussing a 10-day contract. View the original article to see embedded media. The Clippers are ...

The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Mets, Francisco Lindor Have Reached Stalemate in Contract Negotiations

New on Sports Illustrated: JJ Redick Criticizes Pelicans' Handling of Deadline Trade to Mavericks

New on Sports Illustrated: Indianapolis Hotel Serving as NCAA Tournament Bubble to Host a Different Kind of NFL Combine

New on Sports Illustrated: How This Fan Trained a Machine Learning Model and Nailed His March Madness Bracket

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Clippers Planning to Sign Center DeMarcus Cousins

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